Improvement in concussion-fuse for explosive shells



4 sive projectiles.

1lliurraj @raras liafrnrrr @ri-rea IMPROVEMENT m` concussion-FUSE For` EXPLOSNE-SHELLS.

Specification forming part of Let-'ters Patent No. 36,236,4 dated August lil, 1F62.

To'al whom it may concern.-

Be it known that-.LJOHN l. SCHENKL, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, 'have made an invention of certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus or Mechanism for Explod- 'ing the Charge' of a Hollow Shot'or Projectile;

and I dohereby declare the said invention to be iully describedv-n the iol-lowing specification, land represented in' the accompanying drawings.

The apparatus to which inyinvention appertains-is generally ortechnicallykuown under the name of a concussion-fuse for explo- Strictly speaking, however, it has not the character of a fuse, as it operates to explode by impact a percussioncap, in order thatsuch may setfre to the charge of a hollow plunger. K ,y

Of the said drawings, Figure 1 is a. longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 a rearcndview of such a concussion-fuse provided with my invention, the nature of 'which consists or may 4be found, in the arrangement and application of a holding-annulus and a` percussioncap chamber with the plunger and its nipple; also, in the construction of the inelastic abut- 'ment in such manueras to`extend through the metallic bottom of the case, and project over opposite surfaces thereof, as specified; also, in the formation of the inelastic 'abutment with 4a plug-passage, as hereinafter specified.

In Fig. l, A denotes the case or body ofthe con cussion -i use,it bein g provided with a screw,- 'a, forfixing it in a shell. The said case is cla'mbered, and containsa cylindrical slider Orplunger, B, which, in order to prevent accident, is fastened in position by a screw,'b, which goes through the side of the case A and screws into the plunger. A metallic cap or` plug, C, is

screwed into the front. or outerend of the caseA A. The plunger B has a. loading-chamber, c,

formed within it for the reception or" a gunpowder charge, c', which, after having been placed in the chamber,` is to be kept in position by a'wad or plug, d, driven into the mouth of the loading-chamber. Through the breech of the loading-chamber a vent,- d, leads and opens out oi' a percussion-nipple, c, afixed to Such vent, and Within another chamber,

f formed in the striker and around the nipple.'

yThe nipple projects ashort distanceout of the lastic abutment, C', at the rear end of the chamber D of the *case A, I employ an annulus,

k', of leather or other proper material, madeV so as to lit .closely to the outside surface of the percussion-cap, as u fell as to the inside surface of the chamber j. This a'nn'nlus should be cemented into the chamber f.- 'The'bottom rear end or breech'k of the case A, I form with a countersunk cylindrical passage. to receive the stem i of a leaden or inelastic abutment, f

CQWhich rests against the inner surface of the breech, and is formed with flanges Z m, to eml bracethe internal and external surfaces of the This lea-den abutment `is,` vbored'y breech. through longitudinally, .and receives a plug', E, which, when the .apparatus is ix'ed in a shell, serves to separate the powder-charge of the shell from the chamber D.

ting yinto the said cham-ber D. l The purpose ofthe inelastic or lea'den abutnientis to preventthe plungerB froin rebound- .ing by the force of impact whendriven baekv ward in the chamber D at'the period of expulsion vof the shell from a pieeeof ordnance.

Were arebound of the plunger to take place, the percussion-cap would be forced against the head C. and explosion of the charge of such. cap might result at the commencement of iii ght of the shell. v By making the inelastic abutment in inanner set forth-f-viz. with two ilanves and a tubu lar stem-I am enabled not only to so fix it inplace as to prevent it frombecoming 'displaced under ordinary circumstances as `Well as Vduring discharge of a shell from a gun, but render it capable oi receiving aplug, E, which,

Aon explosion of the powder charge Oftl1e plunger B, will be blown out of its sea-t, so as to enable the flame oi' such explosion to rcaelrthe bursting-charge of the shell.

The abutment Cniay be constructed'solid or Without any plug-passage, as such abutmeut/ It also serves, under othercircumstances,l to prevent either,y dirt or extraneous matters or Water from getby the impact of -the shell at the termination' of its flight, will be likely to be driven forward out` of the breech of the body A., and against` the plunger, in which casetlle b reeclrwould be opened, and in all probability more or less of the lflame of the explosion of the charge of the plunger would pass into the shell either by going around the abutmehtand through the' breechl or by driving the abutment through theA breeckand into the shell; but as there would.

be a possibility of the abutment being strong enough to cause thbl plunger andthe screwhcad C to' be driven out of the chamber I), I

prefer to make the inelastic abutment with a passagev through itsfneck and for the reception of a plug,- E, as described. r

v Instead of theplu'g E, a simple cap of thin metal or other suitable material maybe fitted on the rear part of the case A, and so as to cover the opening or passage ofthe abutment C. This is shown in section at m in Fig. 3.

- Fig. 4 represents inlongitudinal section the inelastic abutment as madeavitli a chamber, n, having a thin bottom, o, (the latter to be broken or driven out'of place by theexplosion of the charge of the plunger.) The said igs. 3 and 4 serve" to illustrate certain modes inwhichl have contemplated the' application of n that principle or character of my improvement -z l n 36,236

by' which it may bedistinguished from other inventions..

Preparatory to .inserting in a gun, mortar,

o'r howitzer a 4shell containing my improved concussion-fuse the 'plug C should be reversed in the case A, in order that the empty chamber or cavity o maynot be a'bar tothe explosion of the percussiolrcap at the terminus of the ig-ht of th'eshell.

Havingvthus described my improved concns-r sionfuse, what I claim asrnev'v, andv desire to protect by Letters Iatent, lis as follows:

1. Thearrangenlent and combination ofuthe. l holdingfaunulus h and the percussion-cap chamber f with the plunger B and its nipple e.

2. The construction ofthe inelastic abut ment in such manneras-to' extend through thel metallic bottom-or breech of v.the ease A and project over-opposite sides or'surfaces thereof,

substantially as explained.

The formation of theinelastic abutment with a plug hole or passage .for receiving a' 

